Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

Mentioning that night she got drunk, Leda touched her nose with a hint of embarrassment.

"It was all my mom's fault, insisting I attend this so-called youth mixer. It was basically a speed dating dinner in disguise."

The young men and women were like items on display, laid out for selection.

Nola was great in every way, except for being a bit of a worrywart.

Going on about how 'unequal matches never work out' and 'love can't survive on empty pockets,' blah blah blah...

Leda was over it.

After the last visit home, she laid down the law with Nola: she could consider matches of similar social standing, but the final choice was hers to make.

In return, Nola had to swear off arranging any more blind dates or mixers behind her back.

Roseanne: "Choose for yourself?"

"Yeah, as long as the guy's family isn't broke, my mom's cool with it. Easy, I'll just pick from our circle!"

"You're really going to pick?"

Roseanne blinked.

these men who would dote on her, pamper her, and treat her like a

from influential families; why should I, a grown man, lower myself to

softly, lowering her voice, "I have to choose, or I can't face my mom.

being pushed into marriage. Since none of us want to follow our families' plans, why not team up?" ""How does that

in public, pretend we're together, and then

constant nagging, while still enjoying their freedom on the side. A win-win. Roseanne still urged her to think it through, not to get carried

I

finishing up, Roseanne seized the moment when Leda went

they headed out, Leda pouted, "I said it was my treat, why did you

bill every time. I'm not

"Right, my little heiress."

reached out to pinch Roseanne's

hands to

way through the

Reynolds, a moment,

instinctively look

room, mostly middle-aged some with streaks of gray, neady all dressed in polo shirts with chinos-a scholarly

center of

a stark contrast to